Universal tone-arm for talking-machines.



P. CATUCCI.

UNIVERSAL TONE ARM FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, 1914.

Patented July 20, 1915.

I WITNESSES:

BY WHOM/E) srrns I'LINY CATUCCL. OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO A. F. MEISSELBAGH &

BROTHER, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

mamas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Application filed February 4, 1914. Serial No. 816,425.

' To all whom it may concern:

T so

upon the same talking machine.

Be it known that I, FLINY GA'ruocI, a citizen of the United. States, residing in the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Universal Tone-Arms for TalkingeMa'chines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled proved tone arm, showing diagrammatiin the "art to make-and use the same.

My invention relates to tone arms for talking machines using the well known form of disk record and j is designed especially for use in making such tone arm adjustable in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the record disk, so that sound boxes of .differ-- ent sizes may be used to reproduce records Such sound boxes are now being made in difierent sizes to reproduce difierent classes of records and for difierent purposes ;for example the concert sound box is made exceedingly large, sometimes as large as twice the'diameter of the ordinary sound boxes. If different sized sound boxes. are placed 'uponthe same tone arm, unless some special adjustmentis made forthe vertical adjustment of the tone.arm, 'the stylus .of the sound box will not track properly in'the record groove.

It is essential in correct reproduction that the tone arm, swinging as it does in a plane parallel to the plane of the disk, should have the'sound box so located that its stylus will swing through an arc whichpasses through the center of rotation of the disk. It is readily seen therefore, that unless some provision is made for the adjustment of the tone arm in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the record disk, with'the use of sound boxes of different sizes having the points of their styluses more or less remote from the center of the diaphragm of the sound box, the result will be that the point of the stylus will not swing in the are passing throughfithe .center of rotation of the disk.

a j-My invention, as above indicated, contemplates the provision of means for such vertical adjustment of the tone arm.

Another feature of my invention resides in the provision of means whereby a section of the tone arm may oscillate so thatthe point of the stylus needle may follow any undulatory movement of the face of the record disk which may be due to inaccuracy in e--driving shaft. The same means also cally the positions occupied when sound boxes of extreme sizes are used. Fig; 2, is a plan v1ew of the same.

Fig. 3, is' a sectional v1ew of the tone arm and support showin' the. tone arm rotated through an angle or about 150 degrees; Fig. 4, is an end elevationof theltone arm showing the extreme outer end in position normally occupied for ingv the tone arm. with its extreme end thrown out of playing position and into position for the removal and replacementof the -stylus needle. Fig. 6, is a section on line ij 6-6 of Figs'l and 3.. Figs. 7 and 8, show respectively, plan'and side elevations of an adapter for use upon my improved tone arm. In the drawings I have only shown so much of the talking machine as is necessary to illustrate my invention.

' 1 is the usual tone arm supporting bracket ordinarily secured to the side of the talking machine case.

2 represents the position occupied .phonograph record in playing. The sup porting bracket 1, is provided with abearing 3, upon the ledge or shoulder 4, and an upper bearing ring 5. y

j Mounted inthe bearing ring, and resting upon the, bearing 3,-is a generally hollow cylindrical block 6, closed at its bottom by means of a cup-shaped supporting member 7, centrally apertured to receive a positioning pin .8, and upwardly stamped in its center-as at 9, to form a race-way for the ball bearings 10., upon which the block 6 is sup ported. One side of the cylindrical block 6, is cut out as at 11, to receive the cylindrical bearing block 12, as clearly illustrated inFigs. 1 and 3. The'cu't out portion 11, is semi-cylindrical so as to form a frictional bearing surface for thesurface of the cylindrical block 12. The block 12, is held in place by means of the. confining strap 13,

1 made of thin sheet metal and surrounding reproduction. Fig. 5, is a similar view showthe, outer side of the cylinder-.12, with the 19 pressure upon the outer surface of the cylindrical block 12, so that said block 12, is frictionally held in the bearing 11, in the side of the block 6. The confining strap13, is provided with a substantially rectangular 15 opening 22, the vertical sides of which are parallel with each other, but the lower and upper sides are provided with stopprojections 23 and 24, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

cylindrical block 12, rigidly secured therein, is the section 27' of the tone arm. Any means for securing the section 27 in position may be utilized, as for example, the well known process of sweating or of soldering. Within the section 27, extends another section 28, provided at its inner end with a bearing band 29, and at its outer end a similar band 30, to form bearings with the 30 inner and outer ends respectively of the I section 27. Near the inner end of the'tubular section 28, I provide'a circumferential 'slot 31, running aroundsaid section for a distance of about 150 degrees to receive a .screw pin 32, which isscrewed'through the body of the cylindrical block 12, and through the adjacent end of the tubular section 27, with its end extending as indicated into the slot 31. By this arrangement, the 40 tubular section 28, may oscillate upon its axis through the angle of about 150 degrees. Rigidly secured in the outer end of the tubular section 28, is the rectangular elbow 33, the free end of which is reduced as at 34, to form a thimble upon which the sound box is secured.

The reason for making the slot 31 about 150 degrees in length, is that when the sound box is mounted upon the thimble 34, the plane of the diaphragm of the sound box should be substantially at right angles tothe disk record 2. It frequently happens as heretofore stated, that the mandrel or driving shaft is out of true, resulting in the wabbling of the record turn table and of the record itself. If the slot 31, terminated in a position so that the thimble 34, could not fall below the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the thimble 34,

and parallel to the plane of the record disk 2, the unevenness of the rotation of the record 2, would cause such record to leave the point of the stylus or wabblc away from it. For this reason, the slot 31 is extended 66 to a. point so as to permit the end 34, of

Passing throughan aperture 26, in'the sound box in position upon the thimble 34,

I provide the elbow 33 with the boss 35,

having as outer face flat, upon which is 0 secured the'flat spring 36, having its outer end bent up as shown so thatit may snap into a groove in the connecting-thimble of the sound box.

p In Fig. 1, I have shown thetonearm'in 35 full lines as indicating the position for carrying an extremely large or concert sound.

box, and in dotted lines the position occupied by such tone arm in carrying an extremely small sound box. The direction taken by the stylus needle in the two cases, is indicated by the two lines 37 and 38.

In practice the screws 16 and 17, are made to draw upon the lugs 14 and-15, to such a degree that the confining strap 13, together 5 with the semi-cylindrical bearing 11, will offer considerable resistance to the free rotation of the block 12.. The spring 21, however, makes this resistance a yielding one so that the tube 27 ,will remain in any position in which it is placed. Therefore, when a small sound box is located upon the thimble 34, it is only necessary to adjust the tube 27 downwardly to such a point that the. plane of the diaphragm of'the sound box will be substantially perpendicular to the plane of v the record disk when the stylus 38, rests upon the face of the record 2, asillustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When a larger or concert sound box is used, the tone arm is elevated into the position shown in full lines. in Fig. "1, with the plane of the sound box perpendicular tothe record when the stylus 37 rests upon the face ofthe record 2. The free oscillation 'of the tube 28, within the tube 27, as permitted by the slot 31, will take care ofany unevenness in therecord 2,

for it permits, as heretofore described, the

free oscillation of the tube 28, to some distance before the end of the slot 31, contacts with the limiting screw 32.

'Thus it will be seen that I-have accomplished all of the objects setforth above, by a structure which is at once simple and easy of manipulation, while its liability to disarrangement is reduced to a minimum,

It is to be understood that the sound amplifier is to be connected directly .tofthe bracket ring I have not deemed:itnecessary, however, to illustrate the sound amplifier as its use is well understood with those familiar with talking machines.

In Figs. 7 and 8, I have shown only the elbow of the general form and contour illustrated and so placed upon the elbow 33, as

' to permit the connecting thimble 4.0, to extend upwardly and forwardly to an angle of about 45 degrees. This permits the location of the sound box 41,. (shown in dotted.

lines in Fig. 8) to be placed upon the thimble 40, in such a position that the plane of its diaphragm will be inclined to the plane of the record 2, to an angle of about 45 degrees, which is the correct playing position for records of the Edison type wherein the record groove is an undulatory spiral impressed by. means of elevations and excavations in the face of the record. It is to be understood in this connection, that the direction of the axis of the tube 28, will depend upon the height of the block 6, above the face of the record. However, the position of mechanism heretofore described.

the tube 28, may be adjusted through the It willbe noted that with this double elbow adapter, the thimble 4:0, is not advanced materially away from the center of rotation of the tone arm so that the stylus point of the sound box will track properly and swing in the arc of a circle which passes through the center of rotation of the record disk.

I I claim:

1. In a tone arm for talking machines, the combination of a hollow cylindrical block, means for pivoting said block to swing about a vertical axis, a semicylindrical bearing, in the side of said block, a cylinoscillation within said supporting tube. 2. In a tone arm for talking machines,

' 'the'combination ofa hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a supporting tube pivoted to the side of said block for limited oscillation in a vertical plane, and means secured to said block for frictionally holding said tube in any desired position.

3. In a tone arm for talking machines, the combination of a hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a supporting tube communicating with the interior of said hollow block and pivoted thereto to oscillate in a vertical plane, and an adjustable friction band secured to said block for holding said tube in any desired position.

4. In a tone arm for talking machines, the combination of a hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a tube communicating with the interior of said block, and means secured to said block for permitting the manual adjustment of said tube in a vertical plane, and for frictionally retaining said tube in its adjusted position.

5. In a tone arm for talking machines, the combination of a hollow blockpivoted to swing upon a vertical axis, a cylindrical block having a substantially horizontal diametrical aperture therethrough, said block being pivoted to the side of said hollow block to oscillate upon its horizontal axis, a friction band for holding said cylindrical block in any adjusted position in the side of said hollow block, a supporting tube rigidly secured in the aperture of said cylindrical block and communicating with the interior of said hollow block, and a sound box tube mounted for limited oscillationalinement with said supporting tube, a.

sound box upon the free end of said sound box tube, and means upon said tubes respectively for permitting a free but limited oscillation of said sound box tube within said supporting tube.

7. In a tone arm for talkmg machines, the

combination of a hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a supporting tube communicating with the interior of said hollow block and pivoted thereto to oscillate in a vertical plane, an adjustable friction band secured to said block to hold the tube in any desired position, a sound box tube extending into and in axial alinement with said supporting tube, and means upon said tubes respectively for permitting a free but limited axial oscillation of said sound box tube within said supporting tube.

8. In a tone arm for talkingmachines, the combination of a hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a supporting tube communicating with the interior of said block and means secured to said block for permitting the manual adjustment of said tube in a vertical plane, and for frictionally retaining said'tube in its adjusted position, a sound box tube extending into and in axial alinement with said supporting tube, and means upon said tubes respectively for permitting a free but limited axial oscillation of said sound box tube I within said supporting tube.

for talking machines, the

9. In a tone arm combinationof a supporting tube, means for tube'about its point of support in a vertical;

permitting the radial adjustment of said plane and for frictionally retaining said permitting a free but limited axial oscillaand means upon said tubes respectively for tion of said sound box tube within said supporting tube.

10. In a tone arm for talking machines,

the combination of 'a hollow block pivoted to swing about its vertical axis, a supporting tube pivoted to the side of said block] block for permitting the manual adjustment for a limited oscillation in a vertical plane,

means for frictionally holding said tube in any desired position, a sound box tube hav; a

ing a rectangular bend therein, one arm of which tube is inserted into said supporting tube to permit the other arm of said tube to oscillate in a vertical plane, and means for permitting a free but limited oscillation of said sound box tube around the axis of said supporting tube.

11. In a tone arm for talking machines,

the combination of a hollow block pivoted I to swing about its vertical axis, a, supporting tube communicating with the interior of said hollow block and pivoted thereto to oscillate .in a vertical plane, an adjustable frictionband secured to said block for holdsaid tube in any desired position, a

sound box tube inserted into the free end of and in axial alinement with said supporting tube, said sound box tube having a rectangular bend therein, one arm of which tube is inserted into said supporting tube to permit the other arm of said tube to oscillate in a vertical plane, and means upon said supporting tube and sound box tube respectively. to permit a free but limited oscillation ofsaid sound box tube around the axis of said supporting tube.

12. In a tone arm for talking machines,

the combination of a hollow block pivoted V to swing about its vertical axis, a supportmg tube communicating with the interior of said block and means secured to said of said tube in a vertical plane and for frictionally retaining said-tube in its adjusted position, a sound box tube inserted into the free end of said supporting tube and in axial alinement therewith, a circumferential slot in said sound box tube, and a screw pin inserted into said supporting tube for engagement with said" slot whereby said sound box tube may have a free but limited axial oscillation within said supporting tube.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30 day of January, 1914. r

PLINY GATUCCI.

' In presence of- V I I M. SANDERS, W. B. WALTZINGER. 

